


First Session

by Lyndsey08



Series: A/B/O - Remy/Emile [1]
Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alpha Remy Sanders, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Emile Picani, Casual first dates, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28373685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyndsey08/pseuds/Lyndsey08
Summary: Remy is still heartbroken after a messy break up with Roman months earlier.  He hates the person he's become and decides to try seeing a therapist to work on some of his insecurities.  The first session with Dr. Picani goes much better than anticipated.
Relationships: Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Series: A/B/O - Remy/Emile [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078004
Kudos: 17





	First Session

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story of the Remy/Emile A/B/O stories for this universe. These chapters will be happening simultaneously with the Thomas/Roman/Janus A/B/O stories in the next section. You don't absolutely have to read the Janus/Roman A/B/O stories to understand what's happening here, but it provides the backstory for Remy's previous relationship with Roman.

Remy Sanders took a deep breath as he squared his shoulders and walked into the psychiatrist's office for the first time. A very small man was leaning back against his desk, scribbling something into a notebook with a bright pink pen and he glanced up with a smile as Remy walked into the room. He was dressed in beige slacks, a white button up shirt and a beige cardigan. His hazel eyes were bright behind blue glasses and Remy had to shake himself mentally when the doctor brushed magenta colored hair out of his eyes.

“Good afternoon, come on in!” the doctor said brightly, “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Dr. Picani, new patient- do you, how do?” he gestured towards an armchair and a long sofa.

The alpha waved with two fingers, “Hey babes, sorry I’m a few minutes late, I needed to grab a latte to get through this,” he explained, gesturing with the venti cup in his hand. He made his way over to the gray sofa and sat down on the middle cushion.

The psychiatrist blinked, “Oh, have you had a long day?” he asked, moving to sit in the armchair across from him.

Remy shrugged, “Sort of, I also just figured I’d need caffeine to get through spilling my guts to a complete stranger, especially when we get to the oh so fun list of issues I have,” he explained, taking a sip. He leaned back against the sofa and pushed his dark aviator sunglasses up onto the top of his dark brown hair.

Dr. Picani smiled faintly, “Well, it’s your session, Remy. We can discuss anything you’d like, it doesn’t necessarily need to revolve around negative situations.”

“Well Dr. Picani, ugh...I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can call you that, it makes me feel like I’m in a cheesy weeknight sitcom, can I ask for your first name? Is that weird?” Remy asked.

“I’m Emile,” the beta answered, “I don’t mind at all if you refer to me by my first name when we have our conversations, whatever makes you most comfortable, Remy,” he added brightly.

“Cool, so how does this work, exactly, Emile?” the alpha leaned back and regarded the other man. Emile was writing something on a page in his notebook before turning his gaze back towards the other man. This may prove to be harder than Remy had previously thought, this guy was adorable.

“Well, we could start by you telling me a little bit about yourself or jump right into why you made an appointment to see me,” the therapist explained, adjusting his glasses slightly, “It’s totally up to you.”

“I just don’t like who I am anymore,” the alpha said simply, sipping his latte. “I used to be fun and not worry about much of anything, kinda coasting through college, you know? Nothing’s ever been that hard for me, sorry, that sounds obnoxious but it’s true. I’ve been pretty focused on having a good time while I’m here. But this past year I’ve started to hate myself...I hate who I’ve become, I guess.”

“And who do you feel like you’ve become over the past year?” Emile asked calmly.

“A narcissistic asshole who runs over other people and doesn’t feel guilty about the consequences,” Remy replied, tracing his finger around the plastic rim of his cup.

“Has someone referred to you in that way or is that how you perceive yourself?” Emile asked, rolling his pen between his fingers.

The alpha was quiet while he thought about the question. His brow furrowed when he realized he couldn’t remember which had come first, a string of angry lovers and friends telling him he was a selfish asshole or if he believed that about himself before the words made it to his ears.

“...which came first?” he muttered to himself quietly, and Emile waited patiently to see if he was going to continue his statement.

“What came first, Remy?” the psychiatrist clarified, his pen poised over his notebook.

“I can’t remember if I already felt that way about myself or if other people told me I was like that first,” he answered, tucking one leg up under himself.

“Why do you feel like those words could be used to describe you?” the psychiatrist asked.

Remy laughed bitterly and shrugged, “Because it’s true. I am narcissistic a lot of the time...and whenever it’s convenient I can definitely be an asshole to people. I’ve used so many people for whatever I wanted from them and said fuck the consequences. As long as it benefited me, who cares, you know?”

“You said this started about a year ago, what happened around that time? Where were you, what were you up to?” the psychiatrist asked gently.

The alpha stiffened, his long fingers tightening around his cup. “My little brother died suddenly, he was in a car wreck,” Remy said rigidly, refusing to make eye contact as he spoke the painful words. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Emile responded, seeming genuinely saddened for the alpha.

Remy shifted uncomfortably before leaning forward to rest one elbow on a knee, “He was all I had...our parents haven’t been around for a really long time, they got mixed up with drugs and shit. And I didn’t really know what to do when I found out what had happened to him. Jason was only 17...He was all excited to come here in a year. He was so excited that we’d have at least a year together on campus at the same time,” he explained, feeling a heavy weight inside his chest as he pictured his younger brother’s smiling face. He leaned forward and placed his coffee on the ground, his stomach suddenly roiling as he thought about Jason.

“That must have been quite difficult for you to deal with on your own, and at such a young age,” the beta commented, watching the man sitting on the sofa intently.

Remy shrugged, “Yeah, no shit,” he quipped, leaning back to cross his arms before he realized what he’d just said.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” he said, chastising himself. He bit his lip before gesturing to the space between them, “That’s what I mean though, I don’t even know why half the things I say come out of my mouth anymore, so much of it is negative...I hate feeling like this,” Remy apologized.

“No offence taken, Remy. It’s perfectly safe to express yourself in whatever way you feel at the moment while we’re here,” Emile reassured him, a pleasant smile still on his lips.

The alpha nodded, “If you say so, doc,” he said listlessly.

“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?” Emile asked, changing the direction of his questions.

“Eww, why? I’m boring,” Remy frowned at the question.

“Oh, I doubt that,” Emile reassured him, “And sometimes talking through your current situation, your interests, things like that can help us discover an avenue of things we could potentially discuss during our sessions.”

“Hmm,” Remy watched the other man with a contemplative expression, “Will you tell me about yourself if I do?”

Emile blinked, “Um, I mean, I suppose if that would make you more comfortable…?” he trailed off. 

Oh this guy was too flipping cute.

“It would,” Remy admitted, secretly cheering that the other man had taken the bait, “Go for it, babes.”

“Okay...well, I’m in my 2nd year of my psychiatric residency, so I rotate between consultations at the ER in the hospital or seeing patients here at the New Horizons branch on campus.” The man adjusted his glasses nervously as he glanced up to make eye contact with Remy before continuing, “I’m a beta, I love tea, cartoons, and a good book.”

“Geez, you seem pretty young to already be in your 2nd year of residency, can I ask how old you are, babes?” Remy asked curiously, studying Emile’s face.

“Oh, umm, I’m 26,” the beta answered, “I...graduated from high school at 16, got my bachelor’s degree at 20, med school at 24, and have 2 more years of my residency. I’ve just always thoroughly enjoyed school,” he explained, blushing a lovely shade of pink under the dusting of freckles across his cheeks and nose. “I knew getting through a bachelor’s degree, med school and the residency would take a while so...I just kind of went for it as soon as I was able.”

“Holy shit,” Remy breathed, “Well now I really feel like a slacker,” he teased.

Emile’s hazel eyes widened, appearing flustered once more, “Oh, you shouldn’t feel like that! I’m sure you’ve accomplished lots of things, as well. What are you studying?” he asked.

“Relax, I’m kidding,” Remy reassured him with a wink, and Emile looked visibly relieved. “I’m in my last year of my bachelor’s for film, and I’d like to work as a special effects make up artist when I’m finished,” he explained.

“Oh, that’s so neat!” Emile said, grinning, “What a creative career, you’ll probably get to work on such a wide variety of projects. Do you have a particular type of SFX that’s your favorite?” he asked sincerely.

“I love monsters and gore, I really don’t know how that happened. It’s just...so fun. There’s so many different directions to go when creating those types of characters, you know?” Remy said, grinning.

“That does sound very fun,” Emile agreed, his hazel eyes bright as he smiled genuinely at the alpha.

“Oh, je-mah-netti, we’ve only got a few minutes left,” Emile said suddenly, glancing at his watch, “Sorry I kind of got you off track there,” he apologized.

“No worries, this was...nice,” Remy admitted.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Emile said brightly, “So, would you like to brainstorm some ideas for the next session or would you feel more comfortable coming up with your list at home?”

“I might be able to come up with more things at home,” Remy agreed, raking a hand through his dark hair. He thought for a moment, “But I really do think we should probably try to work on my temper and how I treat and respond to people though...that’s my biggest reason for seeking out a therapist in the first place,” he admitted.

“You’ve already taken the hardest step, Remy,” Emile said sincerely, setting his notebook aside, “and we can absolutely work on that together.”

“I sure hope you’re right, babes, because I almost didn’t even manage getting here today,” the alpha replied, moving to stand.

“You should be proud of yourself,” Emile added, reaching out his hand. Remy took it and felt all warm and fuzzy when their skin touched. Emile seemed unfazed and Remy wondered if that was what a soul bond spark felt like. Unlikely…but a guy could dream, right?

***

Several weeks later, Remy was walking across the college green, flipping his sunglasses down against the bright sun. He scanned the quad as he moved, thankful that his classes were over for the day and already dreaming about his next cup of coffee. Bright hair caught his eye and he did a double take. 

A small person with bright magenta colored hair was sitting under one of the trees off the crisscrossing concrete sidewalks, their head down as they focused on the book in their lap. That hair was hard to miss and not a color Remy regularly noticed around campus. His heart fluttered at the possibility of it being Emile. The alpha veered off to the right and walked towards the tree, raking his hand through his hair to make sure it laid just right.

He grinned when he recognized that it was definitely his therapist, even though he looked quite different wearing something other than his usual beige attire. He had on dark jeans, converse shoes and a pale pink t-shirt. Remy had known he was small but it was so much more noticeable now without the cardigan to hide his slender frame.

Something about his size made Remy want to scoop him up and protect him from the world. 

Where the hell had that come from? 

As Remy neared the beta, he realized he was taking the smallest nibbles of an apple he’d ever seen and he smirked. Emile was definitely quirky, but he liked it.

“Hey, stranger,” Remy greeted, coming to stop next to him. Emile glanced up, seeming mildly startled, “Remy, hi! How are you?” the beta asked happily, grinning up at the taller man.

“Oh you know, glad the day’s nearly over, I desperately need more coffee. What have you been up to?” Remy asked, flopping down to sit in the grass near the beta.

“You certainly do love your caffeine, don’t you?” the beta teased, “I’m just enjoying having a little time to read a book that isn’t for school,” Emile said, gesturing to his book, which he flipped closed after marking the page.

“Shit, I won’t stay and bother you, I just got excited when I recognized your hair across the green,” Remy said, shifting to stand.

“No, you’re totally fine, it’s nice to see you. I’m really glad you came over,” Emile reassured him, gesturing with his hand to stop the alpha from standing.

“I like the colors,” Remy commented with a grin, indicating the other man’s clothing. 

Emile blinked and looked down, “Uh, thanks?”

“You’re just usually all decked out in beige and white, pink’s a nice color on you,” Remy elaborated.

Emile laughed, “I tend to wear a lot of beige to work, I never want to distract people while they’re talking,” he explained.

You do a pretty good job of distracting me regardless, Remy thought.

“How are you doing? Did your exam go well?” Emile asked, referring to the test that had Remy in knots earlier in during the week.

“I think so, I really enjoyed the ending product and got it finished in under the time limit,” Remy said, shrugging. 

Emile nodded and raked his hair out of his eyes, “I’m glad to hear that, I know it was really causing you some stress,” he said with a grin. 

How inappropriate would it be to ask him out for coffee? The alpha wondered. What the hell, it was worth a shot.

“What are you up to for the rest of the day?” Remy asked, leaning to prop himself up with one hand against the grass.

“Just going home and finishing some paperwork. There’s a new cartoon I’ve been waiting to see all week, so I’ll probably watch that tonight if I can get everything done,” the beta answered before returning the question, “What about you?”

“Definitely grabbing some coffee and then just chilling on the couch, I don’t have any papers left for the week, halle-freakin-lujah,” he explained, his eyes raking over the smaller man. “Any chance you’d wanna go grab a cup with me?” he added, hoping he sounded smooth and not desperate.

Emile blinked, “Oh, um, really?” he asked, looking surprised.

“Sorry if that’s way out of left field, I just...thought it was worth a shot, you don’t have to,” Remy backpedaled, feeling an uncomfortable knot forming in his stomach.

“No...I’d really like that, it just caught me by surprise is all, you’re fine, Remy,” the beta explained, smiling softly, “I’d love to go with you to get coffee.”

“You sure? If I’m being a total creep you can tell me to fuck off,” Remy said, only partially teasing.

“Oh gosh, I would never tell you to do that!” Emile said, looking startled as he placed a hand against his chest. 

Remy laughed out loud, “Sorry, I’m pretty blunt if you haven’t noticed,” he pointed out.

Emile smiled. Was he blushing? Score! 

“I may have noticed that you aren’t afraid to speak your mind. Sometimes I wish I had some more of that confidence myself,” he confided as he gathered his things and placed them in his shoulder bag.

They moved to stand as Remy laughed, “Really?”

The beta nodded as he threw his bag over the top of his head and across his chest. He adjusted the hem of his shirt and Remy was struck a second time with the thought of just how thin the beta seemed. A strong breeze would probably be able to knock him over.

"So what have you been up to?" Remy asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Emile started chattering a mile a minute and the alpha simply soaked up the other man's company. He sincerely hoped there would be more opportunities like this in the future to really get to know Emile. There was something about the beta that made his heart beat just a little bit faster.


End file.
